Upright broiler



Jan. 8,A `1952 G. AMANATIDES UPRIGHT BROILER Jan- 8, 1952 G. AMANA-rines 2,581,570

UPRIGHT BROILER Filed Oct. 26, 1949 3 Sheets5heet 2 f INVENTOR. GEORGE AM,lmA'rlDE-` Bgmra-Mp Jan. 8, 1952 G, AMANA-H1355 2,581,570

UPRIGHT BROILER Filed Oct. 26, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 44 L45 [FL/6:9'

A JNVENTOR. GEORGE MANATIDES Patented Jan, 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. (Cl. 99--421) This invention relates to improvements in meat broilers and pertains particularly to an upright gas broiler including means for rotating constantly a piece of meat therein.

One object of the present invention is to provide a gas broiler having included therein a multiplicity of flame providing jets, in order that suillcient heat may be supplied to all portions of a piece of meat therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a gas broiler having included therein a multiplicity of flame providing jets which are divided into a plurality of groups, and which groups may each be controlled independently in order to thus provide a means for controlling the cooking of a piece of meat therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in an upright gas broiler an upright spit for receiving a piece of meat thereon and holding same during the cooking process thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a gas broiler including a spit therein, motor driven means for rotating said spit constantly and slowly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in an upright gas broiler an upright spit which may be readily and easily removed therefrom for the loading of meat thereon or the removal of cooked meat therefrom, and which may also be readily and easily replaced in operable position in said broiler.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in an upright gas broiler including an upright spit, means effective when said spit is operatively positioned for preventing meat placed thereon from sliding to the lower extremities thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to conserve fuel by the provision of means for shutting off those gas jets adjacent portions of meat which might cook faster than others.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for controlling the bro-iling of a piece of meat to thereby assure a uniformity of cooking therethrough.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the Various novel Afeatures of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the present Fig. 2 is a broken away front elevational View of the device illustrating the interior thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2 and illustrates the arcuate configuration of the several gas burners and the spit end-receiver.

Fig. 4 is a sectionalized isometric and fragmentary View of the gas burners and illustrates the configuration thereof and multiplicity of jets therein.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational detail showing the spit end-receiver, the bearing therefor, and the cross bars upon which said bearing is mounted.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the top plate illustrating the hub bearing and the brackets for the horizontal drive shaft.

Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the spit showing the head thereof and the tongue projecting therefrom and formed integral therewith.

Fig. 8 is an isometric view illustrating the spit hub and the bevel gear fast thereon.

Fig. 9 is an isometric view of the key for associating with the spit tongue and the hub to lock the head of said spit in the said hub.

Fig. l0 is a side elevational detail View of the spit hub, the spit, and the spit end-receiver, and shows the said spit in unassociated relation with the other mentioned components.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational detail View showing the components seen in Fig. 10 in an associated relation.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational detail view showing the spit in operative position and the driving means and transmission therefor.

Fig. 13 is an isometric view of the slidable drip pan andthe angles for the same to slide on` The broiler, according to the present invention, includes a cylindrical housing IB mounted on legs lI 'and having a plurality of gas burners I 2, a manually controllable gas supply I3, a meat receiving spit I4, an electrical motor I5 for rotating said spit through suitable transmission means, a drip pan IB for catching the drippings frontal opening I8 which may be provided with an insulated door for retaining all the heat possible therein or may be left open or provided with a transparent door in order that the broiling of the meat may be viewed by a chef or restaurant patrons. Neither of the just mentioned provisions need be nor will be herein described.

.The above mentioned gas burners I2, as seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are of arcuate conguration in order to provide for the mentioned frontal opening I 8. Said burners may be cast of iron, formed of fire-brick, or any similar material which may be suitably formed and which can withstandlhigh' temperatures during substantial ly lengthy periods; Asbest seen in'fFigs. f3 and 4", each burner is formed to provide a hollow passage 20 therein and several spaced apart ribs Eli" on the internal periphery thereof. Each..burner is further formed to provide a groove 22"i`n the upper outer edge thereof and a similangroovex'- in the lower inner edge thereof. ..By.means of..

able-.plumbing to any satisfactory source. `Said.

stand. pipe is` maintained in its vertical .position by brackets 28 suitably aixed to the cylindrical housingIU.. At spaced apart positionsthe said stand. pipe 21 is tappedv as at .29..by pipes having manually controllable jet-valves 30. therein. Said jet Valvesaare connected. to Vrelated ones of said burners-at.theburner inlets .26. However, in terposed between said valves and said burnersare airmixers-.3I, which .mixers .are common tof-,all gas ranges andthe purposes for which are..well. known andneed not be. herein explained.

.'Ihe just described arrangement. permitsr ,the providedtburners. .I2 to beeiectiye as..a.battery o1. .-selectively,. the. importance.Y of which .will. :be hereinafter. more evident.

Now, seenin Figs. 2, 3 and-..5,..two parallelfcrossbars-32 areprovidedandextend :across .the cylindrical housing,- l. nearthe .bottornthereoh Se. curedto theupper sides thereof, as.by..weldingr at substantially the center ofthe` housing. .10..i's .a

bearing .plate 33 vhaving .abearing .holeL34 .ceny trally disposed therein. Adapted...tob.ear inlsaid. hole 34 is a rotatable hub 35 'having fixed to. the upper.4 surface..thereof..a. first. plate. 3.6..of-. greater rcircumference than.. said. hub.. .and-[fixed to). the.. upper surfacevof .saidrstplate 33..is-a..secon`d.

plate 31.. of still greatercircumference.. .Asquare ho1e.38 .extends axiallythroughfsaid hub'l; first plate 36,-. and second plateLandtwoother holes 39. are providedin saidsecondplate 3Ijon. either side. of saidsquare hole..38. Asv particularly .weil seen in Figs. `3 an'd said other' holes 39 are formed.' with the outer sides thereof rounded .and the inner Vsides flat. Said inner sides are'also in-v clined inwardly, thereby providing camming surfaces-40 (Fig. 5).V the reasons for which will be set forth hereinafter.

The aforementioned spit I4 (Figs. 2 and 7)"is formed of'steel preferably 4and is .provided with a central time 4I Yof substantially .squarecrosssection, and two outer tines Y42. of' similar crosssection but with the outermost surfacesofthe freeends thereofrounded. Sadtines 4I and 42' are. `all provided .with acuminateendsV to `facil itate the'piercing'ofmeat'thereby "The upper extremity ofA therspit I4 is formed'to"provide a yoke 43 and a cylindrical head 44, the upper portion of which head is formed with an annular rib 45. Extending rearwardly and radially from said rib 45 is an integral tongue 45 being provided with a vertical slot 4l.

Adapted to associate with the spit head arrangement is a hub 48 being substantially cylindrical and hollow with the front portion thereof cutJaway (Figs. f8, 10, .11 and'irZ). Said hub is further con-figured to provide an internal annular groove 49, a vertical keywiy 50 in the Vside opposite the cut away front portion, an aperture ...linsaid keyway and through the side of the hub, yand a cylindrical stem 52 extending axially ffromitheftoppfsaid hub.

The. cylindrical head 44 of the spit I4 is adaptedtoV Titi in the--saifdhub 48, having the tongue 46.'.thereof t in the aperture 5i of the hub and the annular rib 45 t matchingly in the internal annular .groove.4.9. inthe hub. Whenso fitted. the

spit and hub. are. securely. held togetherthroueh the agency vof. a, key .534.(Fi'g-. 9) which associams. with both the keyway. 5lJ..in.the hubandthevertical s1ot.4'I. inl thevspit. tongueA 4.6.. n

Now. as.v seen. in Figs. 2, 6` and 12 .a top, plate .53 ismounted in the upper portion ofthecylindricalhousing I 0, whichplate is provided with a centrallyY disposed bearing sleeve 54 of Ybronze'orr similar bearing material. Inorder.to hold'the hubl48 in position. the stem 5.2 extending there-V from is insertedv intheV said bearing sleeve. 5.4;and. a` bevel gear 5.5 is. fastened thereon by a set screw 5By abovethebearingsleeve.

Mountedon the. upper .surfaceoi the. top plate 53 Yis a pair of brackets '57 (Figs. 2, 6v an d`12). whichsupport Iahorizontal driveshaft 58 having fasten.. its inner. vend. a bevelv gearj enmeshed with thehub bevel `gear 5.5 and asecondibevl gearsimilarly; fitted on. the outer end thereof which extenclsjthrough the above-mentioned cylindrical housing l0. Adapted to associate with saidsecond bevel gearj is a driving' bevelgear 6I securely tted on the upperendof avertical drive shaft?, which shaft ...is supportediniits verticall position by. side brackets 63 xed tothe cylindrical `housing i0. The lowerextremityof the said shaft 62.. enters argear box. 64, the internal mechanism of which are Ynot herein described but which reduce the revolutional output of the' motor I5 sufficiently to causethe hub 48.and spit I4 to rotate ata speed suitablyslow and.' favorable tothe broiling of a piece of meat. Y

The above-mentioned drip pan I6, as seen best in.Figs..1 `and .'13 is muchsimilar tc any drawer butv which .is provided with. runner yedges/55 on either of the upper edges of the sides thereof. Said. runner edges are adapted to cooperatewith inwardlypointing angles secured, as by welding, tothe undersides of. the cross bars32. Thus.- ly arranged the .drip pan I6 covers substantially the whole bo'ttom of the cylindrical housing and may be slid out of said housing for the removal of meat Vdrippings therefrom and the cleansing thereof In. operation the burners I2 are lit safely. by the turning of the lowermost valve 3%*A to -its"on position and the subsequent lighting of the related burner with a match orV similar means. Thereafter the. other valvesimay be turned on one after the other from'the bottomtothejtop, thereby causing the related burners to light seri-f ately, cach one. being lit by the ila-mes projecting from its preceding one. Thusly lit,.a multiple of. centrally directed. flames'arelemitted fromzjthe jets'25'in the said burners I2.

' is loaded thereon through the impalement thereof by the spit tines 4I and 42. At this point the spit is not yet operatively positioned in the broiler (Fig. 10). To so operatively position the said spit the center tine 4I is positioned in the square hole 38 and the outer tines 42 are positioned in the other holes 39 of the spit end-receiver (Figs. 3, 5 and 12).

The above-mentioned camming surfaces 40 in the-said other holes 39 are at this time effective and engage the inner surfaces of the acuminate ends of the said outer tines 42, to thereby spread said outer tines. This spreading of the said outer tines 42 effects a tightening thereon of the mentioned piece of meat and prevents the same from sliding down to the lower extremities of the said spit and resting on the plate 31.

The head 44 of the spit is then fastened in the hub 48 in the manner hereinabove described and seen in Fig. 11. Subsequently, switching means not herein shown effect the running of the mo tor I5, and through the gear reduction box 64, the vertical shaft 52, the cooperating bevel gears 6I) and 6 I, the horizontal shaft 58, the inner bevel gear 59, and the hub bevel gear 55, the said hub 48 is rotated suitably slow, effecting the turning therewith of the spit I4 and the meat thereon,

and the said spit end-receiver which bears on the edge of the hole 34 in the bearing plate 33.

Now, inasmuch as the cross-sectional thicknesses of any piece of meat is seldom uniform throughout its length, it is correct to presume that certain less thick portions thereof will be cooked therethrough much sooner than others, and to continue directing heat on said portions would serve only to dry them out and waste fuel. Therefore, it is possible by means of the mentioned valves 30 to turn oif those burners I2 adjacent the already cooked portions of meat.

Also, upon the completion of the broiling process the entire spit lli bearing the meat thereon is easily removable from the broiler by the removal of the mentioned key 53 from the slot 41 in the tongue 46, which disassociates the head 44 of the spit from the hub 48. With the spit head 44 thusly detached from the hub, the spit tines 4I and 42 are readily removable from their related holes in the spit end-receiver, and inasmuch as the outer tines42 were spread in the manner hereinabove described in order to hold the meat properly thereon, their removal from their related holes permits them to assume their normal positions. This, in effect, loosens the grip of the meat thereon and permits of a facilitated removal thereof.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an upright broiler of the class described including a cylindrical housing the combination of; a top plate in the upper portion of said housing; a hollow hub mountedin said top plate and rotatable about the vertical axis of Said housing and including a frontal cutaway, an internal annular groove, a vertical keyway on the outer surface of said hub opposite said cutaway, and

an aperture disposed in said keyway and through the wall of said hub; means on the housing for rotating said hub; a meat spit comprising a yoke having pendant tines with acuminate ends, a head above said yoke and having an annular rib formed thereon, and a tongue having a vertical slot therein; said head being secured to said hub by the fitting matchingly of said head rib in the internal groove of said hub, the projection of the spit tongue through said hub aperture, and the insertion of a key in the said hub keyway and the said vertical tongue slot.

2. In an upright broiler of the class described including a cylindrical housing the combination of a hub mounted in the upper portion of the housing and rotatable about the vertical axis thereof; motor means for turning said hub; a ver--` tical meat spit comprising a head securable in said hub, a yoke, a central and outer tines having acuminate ends for receiving the meat to be broiled; a plate mounted in the lower portion of said housing and having a bearing hole therein aligned axially with said hub; a spit endreceiver bearingly mounted in said bearing hole and including a centrally disposed hole extending therethrough, outer Vholes on either side of said central hole but not completely through said end-receiver, and inclined camming surfaces on the inner sidesof said outer holes; said spit central tine being positioned in said centrally disposed hole and said outer tines being spaced a distance less than the spacing of said outer holes and positioned in said outer holes and effectively spread by the cooperation of the acuminate ends thereof with the said camming surfaces in said outer holes to retain the meat positioned onsaid tines from sliding vertically downward.

3. In an upright broiler of the class described including a cylindrical housing the combination of; a top plate in the upper portion of said housing; a hollow hub mounted in said top plate and rotatable about the vertical axis of said housing and including a frontal cutaway, an internal annular groove, a vertical keyway on the outer surface of said hub opposite said cutaway, and an aperture disposed in said keyway and through the wall of said hub; motor means on the housing for rotating said hub, a vertical meat spit comprising a central and outer tines with acuminate lower ends and a yoke joining the upper ends thereof, a head above said yoke and having an annular rib formed thereon, and a tongue extending radially from said rib and having a vertical slot therein; a plate mounted in the lower .i portion of said housing and having a bearing hole therein aligned axially with said hub; a spit end-receiver bearingly mounted in said bearing hole and including a centrally disposed hole extending therethrough, outer holes on either side of said central hole but not completely through said end-receiver, and inclined camming surfaces on the inner sides of said outer holes; said spit central tine being positioned in said centrally disposed hole, and said outer tines being positioned in the outer holes and eiectively spread by the cooperation of the acuminate ends thereof with the said camming surfaces in said outer holes; and said head being secured in said hub by the tting matchingly of said head rib in the internal groove of said hub, the projection of the spit tongue through said hub aperture, and the insertion of a key in said hub keyway and through the said vertical tongue slot.

GEORGE AMANATIDES.

(References on following page) 

